Four separate groups of regular people are dropped into the wilds of Alaska, and their first task of survival is to find their shelters. Dennis and his daughters meet a bear almost immediately, Greg and Bernice are tested by trying to climb a huge glacier, Jeff and Elizabeth kayak through a dangerous ice field and come face to face with another large bear, and Tim, Allan, and Jasmine find themselves completely lost after just a few hours.

Greg goes hunting for mountain goats, in spite of never having shot a gun before. Dennis and his girls go fishing for salmon, and discover this is no easy task. Jeff and Elizabeth look for alternative sources of food, and Tim, Allan, and Jasmine attempt to prepare for the sub-zero temperatures that are just around the corner.

Carolyn goes hunting for moose in order to get a good supply of meat for the cold weather. Paul gives the Flower Lake trio some useful advice, and their diet changes dramatically. Jeff and Elizabeth continue to struggle to find an acceptable food source, and stress begins to break them down.

Winter falls upon Alaska, and the four groups are pushed to their limits to collect enough food, water and firewood to survive. Several groups go hunting, Tim into the mountains for goat, and Jeff and Elizabeth search for moose on Icy Bay, but neither hunting party has any experienced hunters in their groups.

Tim, Allan and Jasmine learn that hiking from Flower Lake to Hawkins Glacier is no walk in the park. They estimate their journey will take three days as the crow flies, but they have some major obstacles in their way: blizzards, ice shelves, rivers, and the toll taken by their bodies from dehydration. Greg and Bernice have some problems as well at Hawkins Glacier, and Jeff and Elizabeth take a trip of their own to find the mouth of Icy Bay.

Tim, Allan and Jasmine finally make it to Hawkins Glacier, but Greg and Bernice tell their visitors that they don't have enough food to share with them, forcing the threesome to make a critical decision- stay at the Glacier and fend for themselves, or return to Flower Lake. At Icy Bay, Jeff and Elizabeth weigh their options when a family crisis hits back home, and the Wise family come together when Dennis reveals a health issue of his own.

It's time for the four groups to return to civilization, but first they have to hike to the the rescue plane, battling dehydration and cold along the way. Once back, they go through some unexpected culture shock when they get back to the bright, electric lights of home.